Denison Baseball Captures NCAA Regional Title, Advances to Super Regionals

5/17/2026 5:45:47 PM

GRANVILLE, OH/ADRIAN, MI -- Denison (43-1) earned a walk-off 13-12 win over Kalamazoo (33-13) to clinch the program's third-consecutive NCAA Baseball Regional title, while DePauw (30-15) dropped two games to Adrian (35-11), 13-5 and 13-4, in the regional championship.

The Big Red went a perfect 3-0 in the Granville Regional, beating Grinnell, 5-4, Cortland, 4-3 and Kalamazoo all in dramatic walk-off fashion to extend their memorable 2026 seasons into the fourth weekend of May.

Denison will be one of 16 teams remaining in the NCAA Division III National Championship bracket by the end of the day on Sunday. Next week the Big Red will take on Piedmont in a best-of-three series in the Super Regionals.

GRANVILLE GAME 6: Denison 13, Kalamazoo 12

Trailing 12-8 entering the final frame and down to its final outs, Denison pieced together a dramatic rally to collect the regional title.
After Carson Herman (Fairview Park, OH/St. Ignatius) moved into scoring position on a passed ball and Nate Lloyd (Oakwood, OH/Oakwood) worked a walk, Kuyper Lashutka (Upper Arlington, OH/Upper Arlington) was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Eron Vega (Evanston, IL/Evanston Township) followed by taking another hit-by-pitch to force home a run before Jack Lutte (Venetia, PA/Peters Township) brought Denison closer with an RBI fielder’s choice. Erik Sundgren (Pittsburgh, PA/North Allegheny) then lifted a sacrifice fly to cut the deficit to one, setting the stage for Tristan Kerr (Lake Forest, IL/Lake Forest).
Pinch hitting with two runners aboard, Kerr lined a two-run single to center field to complete the comeback and send the Big Red dugout spilling onto the field.
Denison had battled back multiple times throughout the afternoon after falling behind early. Vega gave the Big Red their first lead in the second inning with a two-run double to right-center, scoring Cade Nowik (Lake Forest, IL/Lake Forest) and Lloyd to make it 2-1.
The visitors answered with a solo home run in the fourth and then seized momentum with a three-run fifth inning and a six-run sixth that built an 11-4 advantage. Despite the deficit, Denison continued chipping away.
Andrew Fazio (Minneapolis, MN/Southwest Minneapolis) delivered an RBI single in the fifth after Sundgren’s sacrifice fly plated another run, trimming the margin to 5-4. In the sixth, Lutte ripped an RBI double down the left-field line before Vega later scored on a passed ball to pull Denison within 11-6.
The Big Red continued applying pressure late. Lloyd tripled home an unearned run in the seventh, and Sundgren answered in the eighth with an RBI triple to center field to make it 12-8 heading into the final inning.
Lutte finished with three hits and two RBI, while Vega scored three times and drove in three runs despite being hit by a pitch four times. Lloyd added two hits, including the key seventh-inning triple, and Sundgren drove in three runs with a triple and two sacrifice flies.
Kerr’s two-run pinch-hit single proved to be the decisive swing in a game that featured 25 combined runs, 26 hits and several momentum shifts.
On the mound, Jack Rollo (Chesterfield, MO/Mary Institute and Saint Louis Country Day School) earned the win after retiring all three batters he faced in the top of the ninth to keep Denison within striking distance before the dramatic walk-off rally.

ADRIAN GAME 6: Adrian 13, DePauw 5

DePauw battled throughout the afternoon and briefly pulled even early before the host team used a five-run fourth inning to seize control.
The Tigers fell behind in the opening inning after a pair of defensive miscues allowed an unearned run to score, but they responded in the third. Bryson Dorsey (Westfield, IN/Guerin Catholic) sparked the rally with a double to left-center field before Tyler Walkey (Carmel, IN/Carmel) moved him to third with a sacrifice bunt. Aidan Howard (Portland, OR/Tualatin) then lined an RBI single up the middle to tie the game at 1-1.
Howard continued to pace the DePauw offense, finishing 3-for-4 with two RBI and a double. Dorsey added two hits and scored twice, while Cuinn Morrow (Carmel, IN/Guerin Catholic) delivered a pair of doubles and crossed the plate twice.
The game shifted in the top of the fourth inning when Adrian strung together four hits and capitalized on free baserunners to score five times and build a 6-1 lead. Jamison Lewis (Hanover, IN/Southwestern) took the loss after allowing six runs over 3.2 innings before Matt Ritter (Avon, IN/Avon) settled things temporarily out of the bullpen.
DePauw had chances to chip away in the middle innings but could not come up with the timely hit against the Adrian starter, who worked seven innings. Howard doubled in the fifth, and Morrow opened the seventh with another extra-base hit before Dorsey brought him home with an RBI groundout to make it 7-2.
The Tigers still lingered within striking distance entering the ninth, but Adrian broke the game open with a six-run inning that included a two-run homer and several RBI singles to extend the margin to 13-2.
DePauw continued to fight in its final at-bat. Nolan Osterling (Zionsville, IN/Zionsville) and Dorsey opened the inning with back-to-back singles before Walkey drew a walk to load the bases. Howard forced in a run with another walk, Max Bond was hit by a pitch to bring home another, and Grady Johnson (Lexington, KY/Sayre) added a sacrifice fly as the Tigers plated three runs before the game ended on a double play.

ADRIAN GAME 7: Adrian 13, DePauw 4

The DePauw Tigers opened Game 7 with momentum but could not slow a late offensive surge by the host team in a 13-4 loss in Adrian, Michigan.
Howard wasted no time putting the Tigers in front, launching a solo home run to right field in the opening inning for an early 1-0 advantage. DePauw threatened for more in the frame by loading the bases, but the hosts escaped further damage.
After Adrian answered in the second inning, the Tigers regained the lead in the third when Zach O’Connell (Montgomery, OH/Cincinnati Hills Christian) walked, stole second and came around to score on Osterling’s RBI double to right-center field.
The hosts responded with a two-run third inning, but DePauw again battled back in the fifth. O’Connell doubled into the gap before Louis Florida (Wilmette, IL/New Trier) tied the game with an RBI double of his own. Moments later, Osterling delivered again with a run-scoring single through the right side to give the Tigers a 4-3 edge.
Howard finished with a homer, double and two walks, while O’Connell reached base three times and scored twice. Osterling drove in two runs, and Florida added an RBI double as DePauw repeatedly answered early challenges.
The game shifted dramatically in the bottom of the sixth inning. Adrian capitalized on a hit batter, an error and several timely hits to erupt for seven runs, turning a one-run deficit into a 10-4 lead. The inning included multiple RBI singles and doubles as the hosts seized full control of the regional contest.
DePauw still threatened in the seventh when Morrow doubled down the left-field line and the Tigers loaded the bases with one out, but a pitching change helped Adrian escape the jam without damage.
The hosts added three more runs in the eighth inning to extend the margin before closing out the victory.
Despite the loss, the Tigers showed resilience throughout the afternoon, holding multiple leads against the regional hosts before the decisive late inning changed the game.

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